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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22405345">Dawnbringer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akuroi/pseuds/Akuroi'>Akuroi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>God Eater (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(Somewhat) Suicidal Character, Angst and Humor, Family, Forgiveness, Guilt, Humanity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Somebody Give The Kid A Fucking Hug, Tragedy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 12:07:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,250</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22405345</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akuroi/pseuds/Akuroi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They say the darkest nights come before the brightest days.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Lesson 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wolf Feris gets the offer of a lifetime.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Wolf wakes to the raucous cacophony of a baton banging on his cell door.</p><p>"On your feet, prisoner!" A guard shouts through the small opening underneath the transparent bulletproof panel to his six-by-eight prison unit, "Warden wants to see you today!"</p><p>Half-lidded blue eyes peek open reluctantly through strands of messy golden-blond hair, roused from a pleasantly dreamless sleep and non-too pleased by it. He cranes his neck to meet the offending guard's – guards'. Plural. How charming of them to send an entire squad just to pull his ass out of bed – impatient eyes with an annoyed stare, and despite the man's repeated orders, Wolf remained steadfastly limp on top of a single bed opposite of the doorway.</p><p>Finally – just as the commanding officer of the group was liable to lose his patience – Wolf sits up and haphazardly swings his legs to the side, bare feet skidding on the cold metallic floor. Slowly. Sluggishly. Stretching and scratching and yawning like a cat that was grooming itself for a long day of wasting time. Bleary-eyed and seemingly disoriented, the short walk to the door ended up taking far longer than it should have and left the armored men on the other side of its steel lock no more endeared to him than before.</p><p>"Hands." A correctional officer growls impatiently as Wolf, at last, arrived at his cell's bolted entrance.</p><p>Wolf pushes his arms through the small opened space just under the door's bullet-resistant window. He smiles bemusedly as the clacker of chains and cuffs close around his wrists – far too tightly to be comfortable and no doubt, they meant for it to be that way – and makes sure to be infuriatingly upbeat as a Senior Officer opens the door with a clatter of keys and drags him out by his shoulder.</p><p>"Good morning to you too, officers." Wolf greets the men dryly, "I see you're all in a good mood today. Ah, Sergeant Ken. It's been a while. How's the wife?"</p><p>None of the guards bother to return his greeting save the Sergeant, who merely shoves Wolf forward as his reply.</p><p>"Shut up and walk, prisoner."</p><p>"Touchy, touchy. You know, I was perfectly fine with staying in my nice, quiet cell all day. You guys were the ones who dragged me out. I'm just trying to make conversation while I'm in the company of Fenrir's finest." Wolf said, lackadaisical even as they surrounded him and forced him to put one foot in front of the other, "Nice as my accommodations are, solitary can get boring as shit. I'm given so little time to stretch my legs. Not when the warden is still so adamant about keeping me in the hole."</p><p>A guard to his left scoffed, "After the shit that you pulled the last time, you ought to be thankful solitary is all you're getting."</p><p>Wolf grinned wryly, "Oh, is that how things are now? You stab a few guys a dozen times over in self-defense and no one ever lets you forget it. Jeez, cut me some slack. It ain't my fault if you guys keep fucking up your checks. Now, shivs are passing hands faster than condoms in a planned parenthood clinic. I'm hardly the only guy who carried one." A pause. "Plus, they did try to stab me first. So, you know. Don't think of it as a 'stabbing'. Think of it as 'surprise karmic retribution'.</p><p>A jab of a baton at his side drags a small grunt from Wolf's lips and silences whatever else he is about to say.</p><p>"Asshole," The guard responsible for the sudden assault clicks his tongue in distaste.</p><p>"Would all of you just shut up?" Sergeant Ken said, "Ignore the bastard. He's just trying to delay us, and if the Warden gets impatient, it's all of our asses on the grill."</p><p>A round of weak affirmatives from the rest of the guards follow, and Wolf very pointedly frowns.</p><p>"Boooooo." Their 'VIP' whines, "Taking away all my fun already? I haven't even gotten started on the prison jokes. Here's the first one. What do you call a prison where you lock yourself in? An office. How many prison guards does it take to screw in a light bulb? Just the one but he got paid to look the other way. A convict, a crime boss, and a warden walk into a church…"</p><p>On and on, he listed off painstaking joke after painstaking joke. Every possible crass remark, every expected cringe-worthy punchline, and every stupid stereotype was included in his repertoire. Very thoroughly, in fact. Because apart from the sleeping, the eating, the sleeping, the shitting, and the sleeping, there was very little to do in an isolated cell. A fact that the guards were very quickly beginning to regret.</p><p>"…And the drug lord says, "Between my legs!" Ha! Get it? No? It's funny 'cuz…huh. Tough crowd. Well, maybe the next one will get a laugh. So, what does the – "</p><p>Another jab at his side. Wolf grunts in discomfort and glared exasperatedly at the same offending guard.</p><p>"I do think you should stop doing that." The blond prisoner said, "It's pretty rude."</p><p>The guard jabs his side again.</p><p>Wolf stopped. The guards stopped with him.</p><p>"I'm telling you. Right now," He said with a smile as brittle as glass, "You don't want to do that again."</p><p>"Hey, knock it o-," The sergeant moved to stop the aggravated guard.</p><p>Too late.</p><p>Another jab is flying at Wolf's side when there is a sudden flurry of movement. The chained convict steps to the side and bashes his elbow into another guard's face. A leg lashes out, catching the sergeant right on his knee and sending him to the floor in a tangled heap. The rest of the guards shout in surprise, hands fumbling for the batons and pepper spray at their belts.</p><p>Too late again. Wolf takes advantage of their surprise, slipping out from the circle and landing crouched like an animal a distance away.</p><p>"What is it with you prison guards and your fascination with abusing your power?" Wolf asked as he fiddled with his cuffs, "It's like you forget all your manners the moment they pass you a badge."</p><p>A click. A clacker. The handcuffs fall with a clatter.</p><p>"You only have yourselves to blame for this," Wolf said as he stood, lazily spinning a set of keys around his finger. "You let me see who kept these and even where you kept them. Sloppy, sloppy."</p><p>The Sergeant pats his belt and has a moment to brace himself for the wave of terror that crashes onto him when he doesn't feel those same keys on his person.</p><p>"Now," Wolf chuckled, rolling his shoulders, "about that 'surprise karmic retribution'.</p><p>
  <strong>XxXxX</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf Feris was a firm subscriber to the belief that if something in life was pointing the wrong way, then it was perfectly okay to hit the damn thing over the head until it achieved a fixed sense of direction.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His heel impacts solidly with the nose of a teenage thug, sending the older boy flat on his back in the dirt of a narrow alleyway. The downed miscreant groans in the dirt, insensate as Wolf pocketed his hands with a practiced sneer. Two other smaller wannabe-gangsters step back fearfully, faces terrified as they watched their ringleader fall like a twig blown back by a storm.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So," Wolf speaks, tone harsh and indicative of the short fuse that lay beneath his taciturn stare as he shoved his hands into his pockets, "I hear you guys were harassing my little sister the other day for her money."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf casually walked forward, nonchalantly stomping on the now unconscious blockhead's face as he approached the remaining duo.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's cool. I understand. My little sister is a bit of a brat. She just doesn't shut up, ya' know? So you sometimes feel like bullying her. I get it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He stomped again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's always, 'Brother, buy me some ice cream' and 'Brother, carry me to bed'. It just gets tiring when you have to deal with it 24/7."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Stomp.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She treats me like a gopher sometimes, and yeah, it gets on my nerves when people say I'm so lucky to have such a well-behaved little sibling. Sometimes it just makes me want to stick her in a closet and leave her there for a day or two."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You guys get it, right? You guys must have siblings, eh?" He pointed at one of them, one finger extended right at the unfortunate thug's heavily pierced head, "You."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The teen stuttered, "M-me?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, the guy who looks like he shoved his face into a tub full of used needles," Wolf cocked his head, "You got any siblings?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"N-no?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That – if one considered how Wolf had then immediately leaped forward and ax kicked the questioned thug's face to the ground – was apparently the wrong answer.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The other, and now the only conscious, wannabe-gangster shrieked, scurrying away until his back met the alley wall and then sliding to the ground in fear of the small child that had so easily knocked out his two friends. The aforementioned blond paid no attention to his scream as with a vicious growl, he stomped on the back of the newly concussed teen's head for good measure.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If you can't add anything to the conversation then what the fuck are you doing here, huh? Wasting time? Get a job already and stop pissing around. I swear, it's because of lazy shitheads like you that this sector has gone to hell." With one last stomp, Wolf then turned to the last conscious thug as he cowered on the ground, "What about you? You got any siblings?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Y-yes! I have a brother! I-I mean a sister! Anything! Just please don't hurt me!" The sole survivor screamed out in a panic, tears streaming down his face in terror.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Finally, someone who can relate!" Wolf huffed. The blond approached, ignored the flinch of the teen as the terrifying child hauled him up to his feet and then began dusting off his shoulders, "I mean, you gotta love your siblings, right? But once in a while, you just feel like hitting them with a chair sometimes. You must know what I'm talking about."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Frantically, the teen nodded, stiff and shaking even as Wolf pocketed his hands again, leaving him unharmed…physically, anyway.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ah, you know? You're not so bad. I mean your taste in friends could use a lot of work but hey, you're a great listener. I feel a lot better now. I needed to get that off my chest." Wolf smiled warmly, "Thanks, man."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Y-you're welcome?" The thug's eyes flickered to the exit of the alleyway, wondering if he could survive to make a run for it and risk angering the boy again or take his chances and hope that he could get out of this conversation fully conscious and with most of his bones intact.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Before he could make that choice, however, the blond hellion in front of him spoke once more.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Still, as someone with siblings yourself," Wolf began again and suddenly the smile was not so warm, "You must understand, right? The rule between siblings? That the only one that can bully my cute little sister…"Blue eyes flashed, warning of the danger behind his cold grin, "…is me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No sooner than when Wolf finished that sentence did the teen break into a run, realizing that there was no safety to be found in staying put. The thug ran past the crumpled form of his companions, desperately sprinting to the exit and ready to abandon the rest of his trio to their gruesome fate.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He was close. So close. He could hear the bustle of the streets again, the sound of witnesses and safety in a group. The relief was almost palpable, and for a moment, he felt as if a god had answered his prayers. He would be saved, never have to deal with that little monster ever again. He just had to take a few more steps and he could get out and lose that kid in a crowd. He just had to –</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The thug's thought process cut out in that instant as a metal pipe suddenly swung out of the corner, impacting on his face with a dull clang of steel on flesh and bone, rendering him just as unconscious as the rest of his group.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf sighed as he approached, one hand scratching at his head in annoyance.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Damn it, Aki."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>An older red-haired girl early in her teenage years stepped into the alley, a slightly bent pipe resting on her shoulders. She pouted at his glare, her crimson ponytail swinging as she walked towards him with a huff of irritation.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What?" Aki asked in confusion at his displeasure, "He was gonna run!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I was trying to let him run. You know, to spread the message not to mess with any of the kids from the orphanage?" Wolf grit out, crossing his arms and leaning impatiently on one leg, "If he ends up forgetting everything that happened today, I'm blaming it on you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Feh," Aki scoffed, waving a dismissive hand at him, "No way. Guys like these have small brains and thick skulls. They'll remember everything when they wake up."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Tch," Wolf rolled his eyes, walking past the girl with a sigh, "I guess you would know. You're the poster girl for thick-headedness."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Aki stopped and stared at his retreating back. Moments passed as she stewed in silent outrage as her features went through a myriad of emotions, cycling from surprise to anger and then finally to subdued irritation. The redhead then followed after him, tossing the used pipe behind her as she ran to catch up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"This is why big sis Delilah thinks you're bad with people."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The smaller Wolf stumbled, turned and glared at the now smirking Aki, "Sh-shut up! What are you even doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you be at the orphanage?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I saw you trying to sneak out after breakfast so I followed you since I figured you were going to do something stupid again." She grins at him, "I can safely say I won that bet."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf rolls his eyes, continues walking at a sedate pace as Aki follows beside him, "They had it coming. No one touches Saya. I'm the only one who gets to bully her."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Aki put her hand over her lips as a scandalous smirk spread across her features, "Uwa…there's that sis-con nature again."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf's reply is almost blandly automatic, "Go to hell."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>XxXxX</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The orphanage doors fling open as Aki boisterously crashes through the door, a remarkably quieter Wolf trailing exasperatedly behind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We're home!" Aki shouts pleasantly as Wolf shuts the door behind them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No sooner did Aki say those words did a little yellow-topped bullet suddenly curve around a corner, dashing past the redhead and then throwing herself at Wolf and clinging onto his sweater. The blond yelped in surprise, nearly knocked off balance by the force by which he is tackled. He takes a steadying step back and then glares down at the smiling face of the perpetrator.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Welcome home, brother!" Saya Feris greets her elder sibling with a wide grin, ignoring the severe expression on his features, "Hey, hey! Did you buy me anything while you were out? Like maybe, I dunno, candy?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf bops her lightly on the head, "Why, exactly, do you assume I would waste my hard-earned money on you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Saya blinks innocently under his fist, pouts and looks up at him with military-grade cuteness, "Because you're my favorite big brother in the entire world?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm your only big brother," He rolls his eyes. Regardless, he sighs, reaching behind him and digging into his worn messenger bag. He ruffles through the contents for a moment, keeping a careful eye on Saya's hands as he brings out a neatly wrapped bag of sweet-smelling treats.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Predictably, Saya immediately leaps for it, yet misses when Wolf pulls it overhead, far out of her reach.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ah, ah, ah!" He waved one finger of his free hand in a scolding fashion, "This isn't just for you. You need to go share it with the other kids, got it?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Got it!" Saya nods enthusiastically, only half-listening with fingers still reaching out for the bag of treats.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Finally, Wolf drops his arm and lets the little blond-haired girl swipe the bag of sweets away. Saya giggles and holds the bag close to her chest as if it were a treasure of the most valuable kind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Tha~anks!" she sing-songs her appreciation. She grins happily at him then at Aki before turning and running off again, long sun-kissed hair flying behind her as she laughed without a care in the world.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Aki chuckles as she watches the younger child rush back down the hallways of the orphanage. She turns to Wolf with a smile.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Softy," She teases with a half-lidded grin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf scowls. Truly, it might have looked terrifying had he looked more mature. Unfortunately, with his childish ten-year-old features, it looked closer to pouting rather than a scowl.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When it becomes clear that Aki is unaffected by his manly glare, Wolf looks away and walks off with his hands in his pockets.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Whatever," He mutters as he passes her still smirking face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Big sis says to go see her by the way." Aki says to his receding back, "And don't forget! You're on lunch duty today!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know, woman! Jeez." He gives her a dismissing wave without even turning to look before disappearing around another corner.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Even when he is out of earshot, he continues to mutter under his breath about red-haired she-devils and their knack for finding him. The children he passes pay no heed to it, either because they are too occupied with their games, laughing and running through corridors as they chased and were chased, or they recognize his annoyance, shrug – "Ah, big bro's just being big bro again." – and leave him to his ill mood.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It never ends with her." He mutters as he treks through the hallways, "Nag, nag, nag. She acts like she's my mother or something. Would it kill her to give me a break?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And what," A hand, petite and womanly yet with callouses telling of familiarity to manual labor, suddenly clamps down on his head from behind, ruffles and tussles his blond mane with veracity, "exactly has you in such a bad mood so early in the morning, little Koutavi?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Gah!" He yelped and swiped at the hand, "Big sis Delilah, I told you to stop that!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Delilah giggles, one hand rising to cover the mischievous grin that spreads across her lips yet fails to hide the glint of amusement in her emerald eyes. She cocks her hip to the side, rumbling the pile of laundry she pinned to her side with the other arm, letting her long blond hair lean to one side with her posture.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sorry, sorry," The Orphanage Matron says, yet noticeably looks less apologetic than her words proclaim, "I couldn't help it. You seemed to be in a sour mood – oh don't frown at me like that. It's not good to scowl so much, Koutavi. You'll ruin your handsome face."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He blushes, opens his mouth yet nothing comes out. He shuts it then sighs, knowing that Delilah had more or less swept him into her pace and any further denial or contention would only lead to headaches. It is a lesson and routine that he had grown accustomed to in the two years he had spent in the orphanage, yet experience makes the entire process no less tiring.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>So instead, he changes the topic.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Aki says you called for me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Delilah blinks, smirks because she knows what he is doing – was the one who taught him that trick even – but plays along anyway.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Mm," she hums in affirmation, "Just a small reminder for the festival tonight. You're still going, aren't you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Someone has to keep the rest of the kids in line." He waved it off as if knowing what she was going to ask. "Don't worry, sis. I'll make sure nothing happens to them."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Delilah reaches over and flicks his forehead.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ow!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I knew you'd be like this. Always so serious. You're supposed to have fun at the festival. You know what that is right? Fun?" She frowns, puts her offending hand back on her waist and gives him an annoyed look, "I don't want you to spend the entire night chasing the rest of the children around, Koutavi. A boy your age should be playing, not acting like a bodyguard."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf frowns as well, averts his eyes in inexplicable shame as the disapproval of his guardian's gaze hit him head-on, "That's stupid. Just because I'm small doesn't mean I have to mess around all day like the others."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Delilah sighs.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Wolf," She says softly and he tries not to shrink from the firmness that he sees in those green eyes, "I'm thankful for your helpfulness – really, I am. But a child shouldn't be so serious all the time." She kneels and folds her legs under her, stares at him with leveled eyes as she lets the basket of laundry rest to the side. "You're still so young. I don't want you to squander this time of your life with worries and troubles."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf frowns, eyes glued to his feet, "But don't you work all day? You're the matron. Taking care of us is your job." He mutters petulantly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Delilah laughs, "Is that what you think I do? Work, work, work?" She reaches over with one hand, caresses his cheek and nudges him until he stares back into her bright green eyes, "Listen to me, Koutavi. The children in this orphanage – you are all, without exception, my family. I have never once thought of the act of caring for any of you as just another job or chore to do."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She smiles, bright like the sun as she pinches his cheek with a wink.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You are my joy. My pride. Do you think me so shallow as to only care for you so long as I am paid to?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf cringes, slowly shakes his head. Delilah chuckles softly and plants a quick kiss on his forehead.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You are still a child, Koutavi. Surprisingly mature, but a child, nonetheless. There will be a time when you must grow and take up your own burdens…but for now, enjoy yourself."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She ruffles his hair once more, not a wild spray of fingers across his messy head but rather a calm drifting of her fingers through his scalp – a familiar quirk of hers that he had grown rather fond of. Delilah pulls him in after, wraps her arms around his smaller form in a gentle motherly embrace.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Promise me that you won't forget to cherish what time you have, hm?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He nods, buries himself into her shoulder.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I promise."</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>XxXxX</strong>
</p><p>Wolf wakes to the burning scent of ammonia.</p><p>He coughs and splutters at the irritating smell of the smelling salts, hands reflexively straining to wipe at his face only to find that his arms had been solidly strapped down. His gaze flickers wildly around him, taking in the single overhead lightbulb, the bolted steel table at which he sat, the uniformed guards that stood like shadows in each of the corners of the small interrogation room and especially on the cold iron chains that held him down.</p><p>Growling in displeasure at his restraints, he disdainfully eyes the multiple cuffs that secure him in his seat as if their very touch sorely offended his very being. He pulls and struggles against their grasp, testing his shackles' strength with an annoyed bullheadedness that had come from spending so much of his life in the Outer Ghettos, and is awarded nothing but soreness for his troubles.</p><p>"Please don't make this difficult." An amused voice says from across him, "I would prefer this to be a civilized conversation."</p><p>Wolf's gaze snaps to the origin, blue-grey eyes narrowing in fury as his features morphed into a vicious scowl. A man sits from across an empty steel table, leisurely reclined as he observed Wolf's awakening struggle. Gloves hands are casually crossed and resting on a folded leg, utterly unconcerned by the low growl that rumbles from Wolf's throat.</p><p>"So," Wolf begins with an unpleasant sneer at the stranger, "I'm guessing you're the bastard that interrupted my midday nap?"</p><p>The man merely tilts his head, something like bemusement in the slight twitch of his lips, then waves a hand at one of the standing guards inside of the cell.</p><p>"Indeed, I am." The stranger replies evenly, then turns to one of the waiting sentries with a dismissive wave, "Leave us. I would like to talk to the prisoner in a less crowded environment."</p><p>"Sir, that's – "</p><p>The man turned his gaze to the protesting captain in a warning. The armed guard flinched under the weight of the steely gaze, and whatever sentence he was about to speak is then chained, muffled and thrown into the deep abyss of unspoken thoughts. Sufficiently cowed, the captain quickly strides for the exit and signals all three of the other heavily armored and just-as-heavily armed men to move away from their darkened corners to follow him out.</p><p>Wolf cranes his neck to watch them leave, a stalwart paragon of maturity as he stuck his tongue out and blew a vehement raspberry at their departing backs. Only when the last sentry files out – with a parting glare to Wolf that could almost convey just how much they would've liked to hang him over the anti-aragami fence like a human pinata – and the doors slide shut does he return his gaze to the man's now neutral stare.</p><p>"You made quite the commotion earlier." The man begins, features unchanging from their flat expression yet somehow becoming all the more accusatory for its blankness. "More than a dozen guards knocked unconscious, half of which had to be hospitalized for broken bones and concussions all around. All with your bare hands. Impressive…though to be quite honest, I did not at all expect you to be so…adamant…about staying in your cell."</p><p>Wolf merely shrugs his shoulders, "What can I say? I'm very partial to my beauty sleep."</p><p>A small quirk tugs at the edges of the man's lips.</p><p>"Hm. Then allow me to offer my sincerest apologies for interrupting such a valued period of your day."</p><p>"Spare me." Wolf deadpanned, "I can't promise I won't start projectile vomiting so for both of our sakes, skip all the pleasantries."</p><p>"Fair enough," The man allows a vaguely amused huff to escape his lips before he leans forward and rests both of his arms onto the table, "To business it is."</p><p>"What can I do you for, mysterious stranger?" Wolf sarcastically asked, slouching back and ignoring the mild throbbing pain that came from aggravating his freshly earned bruises. The guards had not at all been gentle in restraining him, not that he made it easy for them, he supposed.</p><p>"Wolf Feris." The still-unnamed man begins to list, "You arrived at the Far-East Branch when you were a mere 8 years old along with your sister. After passing the bias factor compatibility test, you were both taken in and moved to the Orphanage, where you resided until you all but underwent emancipation by the time you reached fourteen. As a minor, you were caught participating in unsanctioned street fights, though seeing as it was your first offense, the police force opted to let you go with a warning. However, soon after, your behavior only seemed to worsen. You fell in deeper with organized crime, first as a messenger, then a bodyguard and then made a name for yourself as a hired gun…or perhaps it would be better to call you a hired blade, given your previous propensity for knives."</p><p>A cold smile spread partially over the man's thinned lips as if he was torn between amusement and disgust.</p><p>"I saw the pictures of your handiwork, by the way. You certainly didn't want to leave your victims any chance of surviving. It's no wonder that people began calling you 'Tsujigiri'."</p><p>"Ooh, a fan. I haven't had one of those before. You come here for a live demonstration?" Wolf hummed amusedly, fingers twitching as he imagined what it would be like to dig his knuckles into the other man's cocksure face. "If you got a knife on ya, I can even give you a play-by-play."</p><p>"A generous offer. But I'll pass if it's all the same to you."</p><p>The stranger declines dryly, uncaring or unbelieving of the possible threat to his wellbeing – Wolf still couldn't tell if this man was overconfidently stupid or stupidly prepared – and continues unabated,</p><p>"You continued your…occupation for a good time after, but when your identity was leaked via an anonymous tip, you were arrested and quickly convicted of multiple counts of first-degree murder. At the age of sixteen, even. My, you were certainly a busy young man, weren't you?"</p><p>"Is there a rest stop between here and the fucking point?" Wolf drawled impatiently, slouching in his chair and tapping one finger on the armrest.</p><p>"Hm. Then allow me to state it as plainly as possible." The man said, "Effective immediately, your life sentence has been cut short."</p><p>"Ah," Wolf smiled, "There it is. How'll it go then? Lethal injection? Hanging? A good old-fashioned firing squad?"</p><p>The man chuckled, "You misunderstand. I am not here to sentence you to death. Quite the opposite."</p><p>Wolf's smile promptly slid off his face, rolled down a cliff, and buried itself in the deepest, darkest ditch it could find.</p><p>"I am here to offer you a new life." The man corrected with a dramatic flourish of his hand, "A God Eater's life."</p><p>Wolf paused, took a moment to really internalize the words and then waited a little more just to let some of the gravitas respectfully fade. Because Delilah had always told him that words were powerful – could build lives just as easily as break lives.</p><p>So, he thinks. He picks his mind like carrion delving into the entrails of a rotting carcass, combing through every phrase in his vocabulary with a ravenous fervor until he forged a sentence that could sufficiently and accurately express his auspicious thoughts. And so, with those words kept in mind and with all the care and nuance that a response to such an offer deserved, he said,</p><p>"You're insane."</p><p>The man chuckles, "Perhaps. All the same, the offer is genuine."</p><p>Wolf regarded him with a curious tilt of his head, "Say I accept. Say I let you hype me up with aragami in a can or whatever it is you inject into your dogs, what makes you think I'll stay leashed?"</p><p>"Oh? I would've thought it simple. A chance to earn your freedom would be something most prisoners would happily throw themselves at – no matter the cost."</p><p>"Maybe," Wolf shrugged, "But I wouldn't exactly be free, eh? I've heard about what God Eaters have to do to keep themselves from going berserk. Those oversized bracelets of theirs – they ain't fashion statements, are they?"</p><p>Wolf smiled, lips stretched thin like a razor's edge.</p><p>"A collar is a collar, even if ya' spray paint it red and strap it around my wrist."</p><p>"And what if I told you," The man said, "that the only way your little sister will survive is if you put on that collar?"</p><p>His breath hitches in his throat, clogged in his lungs by the sudden burning heat ravaging his chest at the mention of Saya. His gut twists into knots along with it – bunching and tugging and curling around like barbed wire around his intestines.</p><p>Even now – and for a moment, he can't help but think of Aki shaking her russet head in bemusement – his sister was still his big red button.</p><p>But Wolf kept calm. Wolf kept his gaze as clear as he could, tried to fan away the red that threatened to cloud his eyes with careful breaths and a voice that sounded suspiciously like Delilah's soothing assurances – because Aki had also always told him that his temper turned his levels of crazy from 'emotions-make-me-puke' into a fully red-eyed Kaiju style 'the-building-will-be-on-fucking-fire-in-the-next-five-minutes' bitch fit and that was not what he needed right now.</p><p>Even as his fingers dug into the cold metal armrests of his chair. Even as his smile turned from dangerously sharp to monomolecular edged. Even as he imagined what it would feel like to squeeze his hands around the neck of the man opposite of him and keep on pressing until something snapped.</p><p>So, Wolf forced his smile a little bit wider and tried not to seem as dangerously unhinged as he was.</p><p>"An ultimatum already?" He said with the kind of sickly sweetness that would've once sent so many people running in the opposite direction, "I'm flattered but have some class, man. At least buy me dinner first."</p><p>"I apologize if you took it as such." The man sincerely said, "However, it is no ultimatum. It is simply the unhindered truth."</p><p>The rage flickered, replaced by confusion and wary curiosity.</p><p>"You gonna explain or are we playing 20 questions?"</p><p>The man scoffed, "You've been here for some time now, mostly spent in isolation wards. I suppose it would come as no surprise that you would be unaware of what is happening on the surface. My apologies. Allow me to explain."</p><p>Sky blue eyes – the same shade of Wolf's own – settle into a hard look of steely determination.</p><p>"The walls of Troy are failing, Wolf Feris." He said, "And I need your help in building Rome."</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>XxXxX</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The festival is bright and cheerful.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Rows and rows of stands align the ghetto's streets, rickety little shacks selling everything from trinkets to food. The bright paper lanterns hanging above their heads glow with a luminescent gold, bathing the surroundings in a halo of soft orange. The large crowds mingle along the aisles of shops, laughing and talking over the bustle of the other festival-goers, livening the air with a bustle of laughter and chatter that had become so rarely seen in these trying times.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He is not in these streets. Instead, he is in a darkened spacious open-air theater, hidden away in the edges of the festival to keep the noise from disturbing the performance. He watches tepidly as a bright light behind a white curtain burst to life in front of a wide-eyed crowd of excited girls and boys. A voice speaks, vibrating in the air and hushing the murmurs of the children as they place all their attention on the story's unraveling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Once upon a time, in a distant land…</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The shadow play starts, and Wolf watches the silhouettes begin to dance behind the white cloth with an uncaring resignation. It continues regardless of his lukewarm attitude, black figures moving in and out, rising and falling with the spotlight as the narrator voiced over the performance, keeping the watching children interested through a contrast of melodious calm and tense drama.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His sister is part of the crowd, and he can see her bright sunkissed head of hair sway with every exaggerated cheer for the hero of the story. It seemed she was too enraptured by the moving inky blots in front of her to even notice that her brother had lost interest before the show had even begun and was no longer watching with her, though he still kept an eye on all of the children from the orphanage in the crowd, her especially.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He leans back in his seat at the very back of the theater, separate from the rest of the band of young watchers but with a good view of everything going on. Though they were enjoying themselves, he was unable to find much care for any of the stories they found so enthralling. He had only come here after Saya had pleaded with him to let her watch the show, after all, and saw no need to either distract them or hear their excited chatter up close.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Enjoying the festival?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Before he can continue his half-musing, Aki approaches him from behind, plopping down on the seat next to him with a tiny smirk on her lips. The older girl ruffles his hair, Wolf swiping away at the hand a second later in reflex.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My feet hurt," He grouches in return, patting down his unruly hair, "and I hate festivals. Why did I let Saya talk me into coming?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Cuz you have a sister complex the size of a mountain." Aki returns with a deadpan stare. He gives an annoyed glare at her answer, yet Aki merely smiles at him in return, "Lighten up, would you? It's a festival! We barely ever have any of these thanks to all the shortages nowadays. It's a small miracle the head honchos over at Fenrir even allows celebrations anymore."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You try being grateful when you're the one getting dragged around the place by an overly excited pack of midgets," Wolf mutters lowly at her. He loved his brothers and sisters in the orphanage but really, they had way too much energy for goofing off.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I heard big sis chewed you out for that grouchy attitude of yours." Aki says and Wolf only barely conceals his wince, "I would have thought you would be a little less…well, you. How many years have you been in the orphanage? Three?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Two," Wolf corrects flatly, "I was eight when Saya and I found Fenrir. I'm ten now. So two years."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Right, right. Two years and I don't think I've ever seen you even try to take up a hobby." Aki frowns, "You're only worrying sis with that attitude, y'know? Always so grim. You'll get gray hairs before you turn twenty."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Aki grins, imagines Wolf with a head of snow-white hair and can't help but snicker at the ridiculous image. The boy punches her in the arm, light enough that it wouldn't even bruise but hard enough to bring out a small wince from the auburn-haired girl. She pouts at him and he meets her gaze with an unrepentant stare.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eventually, Wolf averts his gaze and sighs, "…It's…I just can't relax. You think I like being so stressed out all the time?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What's so hard about relaxing?" The girl scoffs, "You lie back, take a nap and occasionally grab a snack to eat."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Easy for you to say." Wolf scowled and there is a bit more tension in his tone for it to just be good-natured ribbing now. He rubs his hands together, flexes his right into a fist over and over in nervous habit, "You grew up in the Den."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The paranoia of dreading every shadow. The heart-stopping terror that came from every inexplicable thump in the night. The thought that everything out there wanted to kill him and his sister. The restless line of thought that terrorized him if he were to make even a single mistake. Scrounging, scavenging and stealing any little scrap of food just to keep alive. Walking endlessly through the wastelands, only able to think of how he'd give his left arm for a bottle of water.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf no longer had to live that life, but it had never left him entirely. It was as much a part of him as his name. Those years spent out in the wastes, desperately trying to keep both himself and Saya alive had stomped out any childish inclinations he might have once had. Back then, his toys were the tools he used to break locks, build shelters, bandage cuts, and scrapes. His cradle was a barren landscape of destroyed cities, shoddy safehouses, and rancid wastes. His lullabies were the screams of those who were preyed upon by the monsters outside, and mantras repeated over and over in his head to remind himself to keep alert and awake.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Aki was lucky, in some ways. She had been born in the Den, had never known of the terrors outside and grew up in a home with a loving caretaker. He was too, he supposed. The difference between them was that Aki still had her original home while Wolf and Saya had watched theirs burn to the ground.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sometimes, when he slept, he could still hear the screams. Sometimes, they were of ghosts. Of his parents, of random strangers, he had watched die in the time outside the walls of Fenrir and beyond the reach of their God Eaters. He dealt with these dreams simply enough. Bottled up the fear, and if he were a bit stricter to the younger children or a bit more biting in his comments after a night of these dreams, no one commented on it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But other times, it's not ghosts that come back to haunt him. Sometimes, he sees his sister on the ground, eyes lifeless as monsters tear into her small corpse. Sometimes, it's Delilah, corpse crushed and battered, golden hair tainted with crimson and draped like a veil over her broken body. Sometimes, it's Aki as well, disappearing into an inferno, screams never failing to make his heart crawl into his throat with every time he heard her cry.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Those times, though rare, never left him either. He would struggle in his sleep, crying, screaming until one of the children would notice and call Delilah. The matron would run to his room and he would wake up in her arms, still with the lingering images of watching everything he cared for disappear for a second time, shivering as she ran a comforting hand through his hair and calmed him, whispered assurances that it was alright, he was alright.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I lost everything once, Aki." He finally says, and gone is the steel behind his voice, the sarcastic edge he always used in the face of her teasing, "I just…don't want to go through that again."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There is a silence, a moment when nothing happens between them and Wolf simply looks at the shadow play as they move the silhouettes through the curtains. He feels tired, like a spring that's been pushed, bent and pulled for years without end, and for a moment, he is back out in the wastes, hands dirtied by blood and mud, the expanse of nothing stretching out over the horizon.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But then Aki ruffles his head, "Dummy." she says and slings an arm around his shoulder and pulls him into a half-hug with a wide grin, "You're gonna make me cry here, Wolf. I didn't know you cared about us so much."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He growls, wonders about the merits of driving his elbow into her ribs and if he can do it without attracting attention from the show. But then before he can, Aki wraps her other hand around him and squeezes him once more, gentler and without her usual teasing manner.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We're not going away, Wolf." She whispers to him, and it is a comfort that he finds difficult to describe, "I promise we're not going to leave you alone."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He stiffens, finds his voice catch in his throat like a ball of anxiety. But Aki does not stop her embrace, and eventually, he feels his shoulders ease and lets himself fall into an awkward silence that Aki completely ignores.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And for a moment, he can almost believe her words.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But then a shrill ring pierces the peace of mind he had so briefly obtained and suddenly, the anxious paranoia is back, weighing in the back of his skull like an anchor even as Aki's grip loosens in surprise and he takes the chance to stand, turns to the direction of the blaring alarms with wide-eyed horror.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>ARAGAMI BREACH. ARAGAMI BREACH. ARAGAMI BREACH.</strong>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Lesson 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Is home really ever where the heart is?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Wolf hated the Bunkers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Of course, he was sure he wasn't the only one who couldn't stand the blasted things. They smelled like mold and dirt, were too humid in the summers and absolutely freezing in the winters. Not to mention, depending on which part of the Ghettos were being attacked, it wasn't unthinkable for the entire place to lose electricity in an Aragami raid. This led to the lovely situation of being submerged in pitch-black darkness for god only knows how long before Fenrir personnel could safely get them out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But none of that was the main reason he despised waiting inside of the shelters. No, they certainly contributed but Wolf had been forced to spend nights in worse places when he and Saya had still been wandering the wastes. Such discomforts weren't new to him and he had long since learned to stifle any complaints – couldn't even be bothered to feel more than brief flashes of annoyance whenever the lights flickered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Instead, what he hated was the helplessness – despised the gnawing sense of utter impotence that came with stuffing his head in the literal ground while packs of beasts rampaged outside.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Even worse, while he and Aki had been able to lead their smaller brothers and sisters without injury, there had been another group of orphans with Delilah. A group that he remembered should have been closer to the other side of the festival when the sirens began to wail and would've had to stay in one of the other shelters scattered throughout the Ghettos – though that hadn't stopped Wolf from checking their bunker thrice over just to be sure.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But to no avail. None of the guards stationed in their bunker had seen Delilah, nor did any of the other shelter occupants that he had asked. And though he already knew that it was unlikely for any sane person to randomly take the time to notice another seemingly random woman leading a band of children away when the unholy beasts of the apocalypse were knocking on their door, the lack of answers still frustrated him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>So now, here he was. Arms crossed as he stood some ways from his siblings, leaning against a wall with his eyes firmly engraved on the massive steel doors that led back to the outside. Worry wallowed in his gut, an accursed lead weight that seemed to pull at his insides and grow heavier with every passing hour. Wolf had faith in his guardian's will to see her charges to safety, but he knew that anything could happen when the fence was breached – knew that all it took was one bad stroke of luck for them to –</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Aki punched him.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Ow!" Wolf flinched, glaring at the redhead as one hand rubbed at his aggrieved shoulder, "What the heck was that for?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Aki crossed her arms and gave him an unimpressed stare, "You were brooding at the poor floor. Stop it."</em>
</p><p>"<em>I wasn't brooding."</em></p><p>
  <em>Aki raised a single disbelieving eyebrow, "You were totally brooding. You were brooding so hard, it was starting to look like you were a black hole meant specifically to suck in happiness, puppies, and rainbows. You were brooding so hard, I'm starting to wonder if I should run out screaming and try to take my chances with the Aragami over your crypt-keeper looking butt. You were brooding so hard, it was like somebody had taken every cutout anti-hero protagonist from every lame Saturday morning cartoon show, melded all their personalities into one giant stick and then stuck it up in your – "</em>
</p><p>"<em>I get it," Wolf growled. Perhaps a bit harsher than was strictly necessary. "And don't use that kind of language. If one of the kids hears you and repeats it in front of Sis, we'll both be gargling soap for an entire month."</em></p><p>
  <em>Aki looks at him flatly, unbelieving that he was nitpicking her choice of words when they were currently under siege from the enemies of mankind. She looked ready to argue, mouth opening as her brow furrowed in annoyance but then thinks better of it and stops herself. Instead, Aki sighs. She brings a hand up to rub at her weary eyes and decides it is best to just move on.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Whatever. C'mon." The older girl said, lightly tugging at his shirt to lead him away from his corner and back to the circle of their brothers and sisters, "That's enough moping. Help me keep the little munchkins entertained."</em></p><p>
  <em>Wolf grumbles – something about bossy redheaded devils – but follows, regardless.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The little circle of children, for the lack of a better term, stood out amongst the numerous groups that crowded the bunker. A little band of girls and boys with no adults to look over them, huddled together on the ground with only a few scraps of cloth beneath them to separate them from the cold concrete. A single electric lamp lays at the center of their group, unlit for the time being but it always paid to be prepared.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Saya, his blood-sister, is the first to notice his approach.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Brother!" She chirps, scooting over and patting the ground beside her meaningfully.</em></p><p>
  <em>Wolf obliges, crossing his legs beneath him and playfully furling the messy crown of her blond head. Saya preens under the attention, leaning her weight on his shoulder like an affectionate cat.</em>
</p><p>"<em>What have you squirts been up to?" He asks lightly, hopes none of them can feel the specks of anxiety in his voice.</em></p><p>"<em>We've been sharing scary stories!" Saya replies, "I told them about that story Mom used to tell us! Do you remember? The-the one with the spider-lady."</em></p><p>"<em>The Jorogumo." Wolf assures, "I remember it, Saya."</em></p><p>"<em>But the way Saya told it was so confusing!" A boy – a little older than Saya but still younger than Wolf – complains.</em></p><p>"<em>Mm! She kept on getting the characters mixed up." Another girl piped in with a giggle.</em></p><p>
  <em>Saya pouts and waves her tiny fist at her detractors in warning.</em>
</p><p>"<em>I was not confusing! You guys just didn't pay attention." She harrumphed imperiously.</em></p><p>"<em>No, it was confusing." Aki said with a chuckle, "By the end of it, Saya accidentally started calling the lumberjack the 'lumber guy' and she kept on backtracking because she forgot how the order of the story is supposed to go."</em></p><p>"<em>Aki!" Saya whined, betrayal in her gaze. Aki merely smiled apologetically and shrugged.</em></p><p>"<em>Sorry, Saya. But it was – "</em></p><p>
  <em>A tremor shakes the bunker, echoing hollowly over its cold expanse, and the subdued conversations of the crowded civilians all but withers instantly as the lights flickered overhead. A quiet rumble reverberates in the air, a guttural roar that comes not from the jaws of a beast but one made from the expanding force of fire and heat. An explosion – still a distance away but close enough to draw out the collective anxiety of the sheltered people that could feel its thunderous scream.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The disturbance does not last long – fades in mere seconds, yet the deathly silence that settles over the civilian crowd feels all the heavier for its terseness. It reminded them, all of them, that though they may hide behind the Fence, behind the soldiers and behind Fenrir, this was still a warzone.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Brother?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Wolf blinks, looking questioningly at Saya as her brow furrows and her lips drop into a growing frown. His little sister's gaze stays riveted to the large steel doors that led to the chaos of the outside world, yet he does not miss how one of her hands reaches for his own, as if trying to draw strength from his presence.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Will Big Sis and the others be ok?"</em></p><p>
  <em>He exchanges glances with Aki, then passes over the worried gazes of the other children that now looked to the two of them for guidance.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The part of him that still remembered the night his village was set aflame – the part that wouldn't let him forget the screams and the terror writhing in his chest, the part that festered and grew in the darkest recesses of his subconscious with every sleepless night spent plagued with flashes of his memories – is scared as well. Scared of so many what-ifs. Scared of once again going back out there and discovering all that remained of his life was now ash and soot mixed into muddy dirt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But another part of him that remembers his mother's final words – "Take care of your sister, Wolf." – and Delilah's gentle, comforting warmth forces him past it like a tidal wave crashing upon his back and pressing him forward. So Wolf hides the fear and swallows heavily, beating down the incessant worry that needled the back of his mind, imposes a small smile onto his lips, and hopes none of the children can see just how brittle it actually is.</em>
</p><p>"<em>They'll be fine." He said as he turns Saya away from the doors and back to their circle, "In the meantime, I can tell you all how the tale of the Jorogumo actually goes."</em></p><p>
  <em>Glimmering eyes turn as one to him, curious and delighted features staring at Wolf as if he were an oasis in a desert. He chuckles, feels the weight that had once settled in the air over his siblings lighten – even if only for a short while – at the promise of a good story. Wolf waves his arm and gestures for his kids to herd closer until they are touching shoulders, as he then pulls and plops Saya down on his lap and leans his chin down on the crown of her giggling head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf couldn't do anything about whatever happened beyond the walls of the shelter, that much was true. But his siblings needed him here. Needed him to keep them whole and stable even if they felt like their entire world was in danger of crumbling to pieces around them. So he takes solace in that, lets the presence of each child in their circle bolster his own spirits. He breathes deeply, holding the air in his lungs for a few hushed moments of suspense before he begins to speak.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Once upon a time, a journeying woodcutter arrived in the village of Izu…"</em></p><p>
  <em>This much, at least, Wolf could do.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>XxXxX</strong>
</p><p>Contrary to what Aki had always said of him, he could be patient.</p><p>It was a necessary thing to learn, patience. When you were the big brother of over a couple dozen children, you had to build up a tolerance to their antics. Because kids? They could get up to the stupidest shit.</p><p>Wolf had lost count of the number of times he'd had to explain to the younger orphans why a wet towel and some rubbing alcohol did not constitute a bath, or why 'put more sugar into it' was not how cooking worked or that if he caught someone giving Saya coffee right before bedtime again, 'he was going to wring their little necks, I swear to God'.</p><p>Still, patience. Wolf had buckets of it.</p><p>So, one should understand that when Wolf asked, 'are we there yet?' to his escorts for what must've been the twentieth time in ten minutes, he was not doing so because he was impatient.</p><p>No, he was doing it purely to annoy them.</p><p>"Are we there yet?" He asked again, slouching dramatically onto the wall of the rising elevator he had been shoved into, and had he not been manacled and chained, he might've crossed his arms and pouted.</p><p>The guard to his left twitched, hands almost inching for the taser on his belt.</p><p>However, in some form of an answer to their need, the elevator dinged pleasantly, its doors sliding open just as they rumbled to a full stop on an empty-looking floor. With an almost relieved sigh, the second Fenrir soldier reached over to Wolf. Gloved hands fiddled with the chains on his arms for a moment before they come undone, leaving Wolf to cradle his freed yet terribly sore wrists.</p><p>"Head straight through here." The guard muttered, craning his neck towards the hallway beyond, "The Director is waiting in the room ahead."</p><p>"Yay." Wolf cheered, nothing but unadulterated enthusiasm in the way his lips morphed into a mocking sneer, "You think he's throwing me a welcome party? Will there be cake? Please tell me it's chocolate. I fucking hate strawberry cake."</p><p>"Get going." The guard said, his patience run dry as he shoved Wolf out of the elevator.</p><p>The blond convict – ex-convict now, he supposed – stumbled out into the corridor, glaring half-heartedly at the lift doors as it slid shut behind him.</p><p>"Guess he's a fan of strawberry," Wolf muttered.</p><p>He turned away, shoving his hands into his pockets as he slowly but surely placed one foot in front of the other.</p><p>The room that awaits him at the end of the hall is a massive circular space, with lights so much brighter than the dimly lit hallway leading up to its expanse that Wolf had to pause and let his eyes adjust upon his first step inside.</p><p>He blinked, squinting at the mass of red that lay in the center of the room. A machine sits there, bulky and ugly to even look at. Its steel casing was worn, deep crimson paint faded after years of use. Lines of vein-like tubes rooted it to the metal floor, and a faintly glowing yellow substance pulsed and raced across its capillaries like a beating heart. And atop the machine…</p><p>It was a sword. At least, it was in the shape of one. The giant slab of steel looked far too brutish and unbalanced to possibly cut into anything. Its blade – a deep orange that looked like the embers of a dying flame – was at least as tall as he was and nearly as wide. With a hilt the length of his arm and a gun barrel of all things where it's guard should be.</p><p>It was monstrous. Like somebody had taken a rough concept of a sword and then brutalized it to the point of ludicrousness. It could barely be called a blade – it might have been better to call it a misshapen amalgamation of scrap. Yet Wolf knew that it was a sword. Knew that it would cut and rip better than any mere steel. He had seen more than a few of its brother and sister blades carve and rend flesh from the monsters they were made to fight.</p><p>"God Arc," Wolf muttered the name of its kind, his feet carrying him closer as he peered at its jagged edge.</p><p>"<em>Good of you to make it."</em></p><p>A familiar voice boomed out from the speakers bolted onto the high ceiling. Wolf smiles saccharinely at the sole glass window overhead, where a tall silhouette stood alone in observance.</p><p>He wondered – absently and almost without thought – what Aki would say if she had known just where he would've ended up at this point in his life.</p><p>The doorway behind the blond slammed shut. Wolf eyed the steel gates with a sideways glance as it hissed and shifted, barring him within its walls.</p><p>"Point of no return, eh?" Wolf mumbled to himself, tearing his gaze away from the steel doors and staring at the pulsing mass in front of him.</p><p>"<em>Place your hand upon the blade, Feris." </em>The man said, voice echoing from all directions around him.</p><p>Wolf reached down, the calloused fingers of his right hand wrapping around the hilt of the God Arc.</p><p>"<em>Oh, and please," His new employer added, "Try not to bite your tongue off from what happens next."</em></p><p>Wolf blinked. "The hell does that-"</p><p>The machine clamped down with a cacophonous crash of grating metal, trapping his arm within its steel pincers. His eyes widened. Instinct feeds his actions, and he tries to wrench his arm out, muscles straining as he attempted to escape whatever the machine was doing to no avail. Trapped and unable to comprehend what is happening, Wolf barely has a second to register the alarm that spreads throughout his whole body before something is <strong>ripping</strong> into his arm.</p><p>Agony – accompanied by his screams – followed all too quickly.</p><p>
  <strong>XxXxX</strong>
</p><p>"<em>You're good at telling stories," Aki compliments him after the last of their other siblings fall asleep, all huddled together underneath the large blankets provided by one of the guards for warmth, "Have I ever told you that?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Wolf leans back and lets his head rest again the bunker's thick, cold walls. His eyes roam over the nearby forms of his sleeping orphaned brothers and sisters, with some of them using improvised pillows from whatever they could scrounge – from folded jackets to stuffed bags – while others had decided to simply use the limbs of their neighbor instead. At the very least – he thought as he watched them dream with small, shallow breaths – they looked peaceful now. No longer scared or frustrated.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Saya, who had been steadily slouching lower and lower with every passing tale, had eventually been the last to relent to her slumber when her head drooped and then relaxed onto his lap. He runs his fingers along her long pale blonde hair with almost careful reverence as if she were one step away from shattering.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Once or twice." Wolf hums as he answers noncommittedly. He idly brushes a stray lock of his sister's hair back behind her ear before turning to face Aki, "Though I'm pretty sure it was mostly just an attempt to embarrass me."</em></p><p>"<em>Is it working this time?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Wolf gives her no verbal reply. His exasperated stare was all the answer she needed.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Thought so." Aki grinned as she bumped his shoulder with her own. "Maybe that could be your job when you grow up. Wolf, the storyteller?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Wolf scoffs, "No way. I want something that pays well."</em>
</p><p>"<em>A cheapskate, through and through." Aki chuckles at his answer, "Then…a soldier? A God Eater, maybe?"</em></p><p>"<em>Sis would kill me if I signed up to be a soldier." Wolf mutters as he shakes his head, "And I haven't been matched for a God Arc either so I might never even be allowed to enter the God Eaters."</em></p><p>"<em>Don't be such a grump. If they let you in through the gates, you at least have a chance."</em></p><p>"<em>I'm not holding my breath," Wolf shrugged dismissively.</em></p><p>
  <em>He already had enough empty hopes. Making a habit of adding more to the pile wasn't something he needed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But Aki did raise a good question. What did he want to be when he did grow up? He could list a dozen things he didn't want to be right off the top of his head – many of which were just varying degrees of 'dead or dying'. But what he wanted? Wolf had no real clue.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He had some vague ideas. He wanted to be able to spend time with his family – blood and otherwise. He wanted to be able to let them live a decent life, a chance at a better tomorrow. He wanted to repay Delilah for everything she had done for them – and maybe while he was at it, get her to see him as a man if only so she would stop ruffling his hair even if she found his 'glaring puppy face' cute.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But those were criteria. It was nothing concrete. No burning ambition. No real plan. So, stumped as he was, he turns to Aki again.</em>
</p><p>"<em>What about you?" He murmurs questioningly, interrupting the brief period of comfortable silence between them.</em></p><p>"<em>Hm?"</em></p><p>"<em>What do you want to do when you grow up?"</em></p><p>"<em>Me?" She laughs, "I'm staying in the orphanage. Someone's gotta take over when big sis has to retire, right?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Wolf blinks and imagines it – tries to see an older Aki surrounded by hordes of wild children. Aki, who couldn't help but make faces whenever Delilah told her to eat her tomatoes. Aki, who was never put on kitchen duty because whenever she tried to cook, she magically burned everything she touched. Aki, who seemed to get every possible minor scrape and bruise whenever she went out and always seemed to come home with a sheepish smile and needing a new bandage.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Pfft." Wolf stifles the guffaw that nearly comes from the catastrophic image.</em></p><p>"<em>Oi, what's with your face?" Aki glares at him.</em></p><p>"<em>Nothing," Wolf coughs unconvincingly, "Just wondering how long it would take for the rest of the kids to rebel under your rule and kick you out."</em></p><p>
  <em>Aki punches him lightly on the shoulder and this time, he can't help the small laugh that comes and needles its way out of his lips.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Jerk," The redhead smiles despite her words, "I would totally be an amazing big sis."</em></p><p>"<em>What are you going to do?" Wolf asks sardonically, "Stick to the kids for as long as possible and hope you grow on them like a fungus?"</em></p><p>"<em>I call it Stockholm Parenting," Aki confirms his suspicions as she playfully pokes his side with an elbow.</em></p><p>"<em>I can't believe it." Wolf rolls his eyes, "You plan to annoy everyone into submission."</em></p><p>"<em>Well, yeah!" Aki laughs, "Don't fix what ain't broke! I mean, it worked for you, right?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Wolf pauses, gazing thoughtfully up at the cracks of the high ceiling. He thinks back to a time when he is colder, harsher and unfamiliar with the new home that had suddenly been thrust onto him. When he steps through the doors of an orphanage for the first time with nothing but the ghosts of his past in every shadow he saw and with the only family he had left trailing quietly behind him. When the first one to greet them is a girl with a wide mischievous grin and hair as fiery as her spirit.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He smiles at the memory, and if he leans just the tiniest bit closer to Aki, she doesn't seem to mind.</em>
</p><p>"<em>I guess it did."</em></p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>XxXxX</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The dawn greets them with a fog of smoke and blood.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf adjusts his hold on Saya's legs, slightly jostling the still half-asleep girl on his back and hearing her mewl softly in discomfort as he led the rest of their motley group back out amidst a throng of other civilians. Aki is beside him, holding the front of a long chain of hands that keeps them all together as they move along the rear of the crowd – a precautionary measure that Wolf had taken to make sure none of the little ones would get accidentally separated.</em>
</p><p>"<em>You think the town will be in bad shape?" Aki asks him with a careful tone as they pass the heavily armed guards stationed by the entrance. Wolf spares the soldiers a glance – gaze lingering for a moment too long on the lupine emblems of Fenrir stitched over their chests – before just as quickly turning away to meet the rising day.</em></p><p>
  <em>The acrid stench of the Ghettos hits him like a physical force – washing over him like a tsunami of burning timber and pungent blood mixed with the stale morning dew. Wolf wrinkles his nose in disgust at the smell but doesn't stop walking. The harsh morning wind carried with it the remnants of the battle fought the night before, of fire and steel and the constant niggling reminder that they were fighting a losing war.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His eyes rove through the damaged buildings, surveying the destroyed homes and livelihoods around them. Buildings lay ruined in any manner of ways – crushed, burnt, half-eaten, flooded – and not for the first time in his life did Wolf curse the variety and capability for pure carnage that the Aragami possessed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A flash of white on dark red catches his eye in the subdued monochrome of their morning march. He allows his gaze to linger on the ranks of grey-uniformed personnel that occasionally passed them as they carted off rows of bloodied forms draped under rags of white and red blotched cloth before he forces himself to look elsewhere. He is especially careful to tear his gaze away from the ones that are far too small for an adult, and how the men and women burdened with their weight looked far wearier than the rest of their compatriots.</em>
</p><p>"<em>It's always in bad shape." He murmurs to Aki and hurries them all away before either of them can say anything else.</em></p><p>
  <em>When they finally arrive at the orphanage, it is to the relieving sight of their matron, unharmed as she stood alone on the deserted street. Her feet are planted firmly by the doors of their thankfully untouched home, waiting quietly in the early morning light.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Sis!" Aki grins widely when she spots Delilah's sun-kissed blonde hair. His other siblings come alive with unimpeded joy at her call, and as Aki charges forward towards the woman, so do the rest of his brothers and sisters. The pack of younglings surged forward in a thunderous stampede, breaking the stifling air of moroseness that had permeated their group.</em></p><p>
  <em>Saya, half-asleep yet risen from her slumber by the happy shouts of more than a dozen other voices, sluggishly peaks out through her heavy eyelids. Her face brightens almost immediately at the sight of Delilah, the younger Feris sibling shedding what grogginess remained in an instant, releasing an excited squeal as she wiggled free from her perch on her brother's back. She quickly slides down as Wolf releases her and is standing on stable ground for barely a moment before she is joining the rest of their pack and rushing onward to greet Delilah.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wolf watches them for a moment, staring at Delilah's relieved features as she whirled through all of her charges in a motherly frenzy, returning hugs, checking even the smallest of their scrapes and whispering gentle assurances. The sight of her, safe and uninjured and </em>
  <em>
    <strong>alive</strong>
  </em>
  <em>, ease some of the worries that had been present in his skull like a numbing frost melting away under the embers of a flame. And as Wolf moves to join them in their reunion, Delilah's teary-eyed smile turns to him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her arms wrap around his shoulders when he is finally close enough, pulling him into a nearly suffocating embrace as she plants a kiss on the crown of his head and runs a soothing hand along the nape of his neck. She holds him close, as if afraid that her child would fade the moment she let him go. Wolf carefully returns the hug with his smaller arms, breathes in her familiar scent as he struggled to find words to say.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Thank the heavens you're all okay. You must've been so scared and worried." She said breathlessly through her joyous tears, "Wolf…oh, my sweet, brave Koutavi."</em></p><p>"<em>Is everyone else okay?" He asks through the tightness welling in his throat. "I…I was afraid that one of us would get hurt a-and…"</em></p><p>
  <em>Delilah pulls away, smiling reassuringly through her reddened eyes at Wolf, "No. Thank goodness, no. Nothing but small bruises all around. Everyone's fine."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He breathes a sigh of relief, finally lets the last minuscule weight of anxiety fade from his shoulders. Delilah plants a final kiss on his forehead and squeezes him in a quick comforting embrace before she stands. She wipes away at her wet cheeks as she towers over her young charges, putting on her widest smile as she regarded all of them with cheery emerald eyes.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Why don't we all go in?" She said, a melodic cheer in her voice, "You must all be so hungry. Go wash up and we'll see about getting some food into all of your stomachs, yes?"</em></p><p>
  <strong>XxXxX</strong>
</p><p>The machine finally eases off, its metallic mass lifting from his arm and setting him free.</p><p>Wolf collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily as sweat and tears mixed over his eyes. His lungs are aflame, and his throat feels as if he had swallowed sheets of sandpaper. The young recruit shakes his head, trying to sway the haze that had fallen over his mind as his heartbeat roared like a thunderstorm within his skull.</p><p>He blinked, over and over, trying to clear the pockets of white that floated like bubbles over his vision. The young recruit tries to stand, stumbling and nearly falling as his legs protest his movement and a wave of vertigo overwhelms his muddled senses. He leans sluggishly over the machine and glances at his freed arm.</p><p>The red armlet of a God Eater greets his eyes, red and black steel melded onto his wrist.</p><p>Gingerly, Wolf raises his hand. He leaves the sword in its place upon the machine, though he almost has to pry his rigid fingers off from its handle. His eyes stare at his newly collared limb and track the lines of dark purple that run from the overgrown bracelet, down over his forearm and creep upon his elbow. Morbid curiosity urges him to run his other hand over the spiderweb of veins, watching in fascination as glints of yellow pulsed underneath his skin.</p><p>He clenches his fingers repeatedly, even as his hand shook and quivered from the experience. He feels his skin sting from where parts of his knuckles and palms had been rubbed raw, a mild pain compared to the lingering numbness and sharp moments of white-hot heat in his nerves as if a hot poker was being repeatedly driven into his joints.</p><p>Yet he stands, regardless. Wolf pushes himself up, using the machine as a crutch to balance his disoriented self. The pain faded slowly but surely and his breath evened with its passing. He straightens, forcing his legs steady beneath him and looks pointedly at the silhouette above.</p><p>"<em>Congratulations, Mr. Feris." </em>The voice of the man applauded, <em>"As of this moment, you have officially joined the ranks of the God Eater Corps."</em></p>
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